Wire-rope cutter.



No. 756,760. PATENTED APR. 5, 1904. M. T. WOLF.

WIRE ROPE BUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOH a ME:

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WIRE-ROPE CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,760, dated April 5, 1904..

Application filed November 3, 1903. Serial No. 179,728. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK TWAIN WOLF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved 'Wire-Rope Cutter, of which the'following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the means employed folr drilling deep wells to obtain water, gas, or 01 I The drilling of deep wells requires the use of a wire rope that is wrapped upon a large bull-wheel and at its free end is secured a drillholder wherein is secured a suitable drill, which by reciprocal movement of the pendent portion of the Wire rope is caused to impinge upon the rock, gravel, or earth and bore the well-hole. It is necessary from time to time to withdraw the drill from the well-bore to remove material that has been cut by the drill gndlalso to sharpen the cutting edges of the It sometimes occurs that owing to the accumulation of borings or thenature of the same the drill becomes wedged tight in the well-bore, and to remove it the drill-holder must be released from the rope, so that a grapple may be sent down, which by impact may release the tool or a charge of explosive be lowered and detonated over the drill, so as to.

loosen it before the grapple is lowered.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel simple cutting device that may be conveniently lowered in the well-bore and by its impact on the drill-holder be caused to cut the wire rope that has been connected with the drill, and thus permit the removal of the rope. To this end the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described,and indicated in the appended claims. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the improved cutter applied upon a wire rope and slidably engaged therewith and a socket on the end of the rope for coupling it with adrill or the like. view through the head-block, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the device adjusted to cut the rope loose from the socket or drill-coupling.

In the drawings, that show the construction and application of the invention, 5 indicates a Wire rope such as is usually employed for actuating drilling-tools in the formation of a deep well, and 6 represents the rope-socket or coupling that is afiixed upon the extremity of the rope. As shown, the coupling is in the form of a cylindrical block that maybe reduced in diameter toward the normal upper end and said end may be cupped, as shown at ain Fig. 3. The coupling-block is axially perforated for the receptionof the end portion of the rope 5, and, as shown, the end of the rope is usually secured in the couplingblock by counterboring the lower end portion of the axial perforation and filling the counterbore with soft metal, as indicated at b in Fig. 3.

The rope-cutter consists of a weighty headblock 7, which is preferably cylindrical externally and is furnished with an arm 7, that extends from one end of the block and at one side of the same. The head-block? is centrally and longitudinally perforated, as at d, from the normal upper end to receive the rope 5, and to permit the insertion of the rope the block is longitudinally slotted from the axial perforation doutwardly through its peripheral surface, as shown at d. The arm 7 is so relatively locatedand proportioned in thickness that it extends atone side of the perforation d in a plane parallel therewith, and thus permits the rope to have clearance therefrom. The lower end of the head-block 7 is counterbored concentrically to the perfoforation d, thus producing a circularly-Walled chamber 0 of suificient diameter and depth to loosely receive the upper portion of the coupling 6, and to facilitate the insertion of the latter within the chamber 0 the lower defining edge thereof is rounded and the end wall slightly concaved, as shown at c in Fig. 3. At and near the bottom of the cupped Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional chamber 0 a laterallvextended slot is formed, as indicated at c in Fig. 3, and said slot may haye 'parallel side walls receiving loosely a cutter-blade 8.' As shown, the cutter-blade 8 is curved in the body, so as to render its upper surface concave and the lower surface convex, these upper and lower walls of the cutterblade converging toward one end toproduce a th in"cutting edge e thereon. The cutter-blade 8 tits loosely between the side walls of the lateral slot 0 and at its end that is located therein a peripherallyn'ounded enlargement e is formed that is centrally perforated to receive the pivot g, which also engages alined perforations in the side Walls;

of the slot. The lateral slot 0 of such depth thatthe curved cutter-blade 8, that normally rests on the lower defining wall of the'slot, will have clearance at the cutting edge e from the wire rope 5, as shown in Fig. 2.

The arm 7 may have sufficient length to adapt it to serve as an auxiliary Weight for the head-block 7 and in service should have a-cord 5 attached thereto in the perforation f and that is carried down vith the cutter device and enables it to be raised after the cutter has'been used. 7

In applying the device it is slipped upon the Wire rope that is-held from movement by obstruction in the Well and left to slide down upon said rope freely. The Weight upon the heahblock and arm thereon, together with the acquired momentum,causes the head biock to engage the upper end of the coupling-block 6, that slides into the chamber 0 and with great force impinges the convex lower surface of the cutter-blade 8 upon the concave upper end or the coupling-block 6, thus rocking the eutter-blade upward and toward the rope 5,

so that the edge not the cutter-blade will be caused to sever the rope.

sever the rope in one operation the head-blook and arm then maybe raised. a sufficient height by means of the cord 5 and the block be again dropped to repeat the cutting impinge of the blade edge (5 upon the Wire rope 5, which will release the rope from the drill or the like that is, a fixture in the weli-vand thus permit the employment of suitable means for the removal of the drill on the coupling-head. 6.

Having thus described my in ventiond claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. A Wire-rope cutter, comprising a heavy head-block adapted to slide on the rope to be out, having a chamber in its lower portion extended laterally andthrough the lower end, and a cutter-blade pivoted in the lateral eX- tension of the chambeiusaid blade being rocked into engagement with the rope by impinge on a stationary object.

2. A wire-rope cutter, comprising a heavy head-block having a central longitudinal perforation therein, slotted outwardly for insertion of the Wire rope, a chamber in the lower end of the head-block, having a lateral slot extended therefrom, a cutter-blade pivoted by one end in said slot and'having its opposite head-block at its upperyend.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification 1n the presence or two subscribing witnesses.

MARK TVFAIN WOLF.

Witnesses:

D. M. Donnnoo, JAs. J. DAVIN.

end tapered to produce a cutting edge there on, and an arm extended at one side oi the In *ase the cutter hlade fails to completely i 

